5 Things you need to know about the Indian GP

The third iteration of the Indian GP will see 22 cars blast off the grid on Sunday afternoon. Lets take a look back at some of the things that have happened, things that everyone needs to remember about the Grand Prix and what makes it what it is

5) This may be the last Indian GP

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is not a happy camper when it comes to India’s bureaucracy

Due to the financial constraints that are being placed on the race especially because of the high tax rates, India may be seeing the last run of the world’s premier open top racing series on it’s tarmac. The extensive red-tape and bureaucracy seem to have put a bad taste in the mouth of Bernie Ecclestone – the person who decides whether or not he wants the F1 cars to be racing inside a track in any country. With the race already out of commission for 2014, it will be quite difficult for the race organisers to convince Bernie Ecclestone to bring it back in 2015.

4) The BIC is Sebastian Vettel’s personal fiefdom

The BIC is Sebastian Vettel’s fiefdom

Despite various attempts by numerous individuals and teams, one thing has not changed at all at the Budh International circuit – Sebastian Vettel has never been displaced from the top. And it’s not just the top of the podium, that holds that record. No other racer has even had a whiff of the race lead as the German has turned the track in Greater Noida into his own personal kingdom. In India it would seem – Vettel is invincible.

3) The Dog that caused the track to go red

The Pooch that stopped F1

The very first situation that caused the red flags to be flashed at the BIC was when a humble mongrel made his way onto the track. To give the poor pooch his due, it was probably his home before the humans came and displaced him from the area or maybe it was just that those loud cars had disturbed his afternoon siesta and he decided to do what any pooch would do – chase after the offending vehicle. Thankfully, the dog was removed from the track without anybody getting hurt.

2) Hamilton changes 5 wheels in one pit stop

Yes you read that correctly. In last year’s race, Hamilton came in and made a 3.3s pit stop. It may seem slow especially by McLaren standards, however what people tend to forget is that Hamilton swapped steering wheels as well as the usual four that meet the track. Taking that into consideration, it was one mighty quick pit-stop.

1) The first lap on a F1 race weekend was made by an Indian driver

Karun Chandok on that historic first lap

Karun Chandok – yes the guy whose doing commentary these days was the first driver to get onto the track and set a proper lap time in an F1 car on the fresh tarmac of the BIC. Chandok who was there as a test driver for Lotus that year and soon handed over the reins of Lotus back to Lotus’s race driver Heikki Kovalainen for the rest of the weekend.